Comparison
Families regularly file FERPA amendment requests when what they actually need is a grade appeal, or vice versa. The two processes solve different problems, follow different procedures, and have different appeal pathways. Choosing the wrong one wastes the deadline you needed for the right one.
Bottom Line
Use a FERPA amendment request when an education record is factually inaccurate, misleading, or contains information that should not be there. Use a grade appeal when you disagree with the grade itself. FERPA cannot reach the substance of a grade. A grade appeal cannot correct a record's factual errors. When the situation is mixed, pursue both in parallel on their separate tracks.
A federal-law process to amend an education record you believe is inaccurate, misleading, or in violation of the student's privacy rights. Includes a hearing right and a permanent letter-of-disagreement option if denied.
Learn more →An institution-specific process to challenge the grade itself, typically on grounds of arbitrary grading, calculation error, or policy violation by the instructor.
| Attribute | FERPA Amendment Request | Grade Appeal |
|---|---|---|
| What it can change | The contents of an education record. The school must amend if the request is granted, or attach your letter of disagreement if it is not. | The grade itself. Successful appeals result in a regrade or grade change. |
| What it cannot do | Cannot reach the substance of a grade or the substantive judgment in an evaluation. Department of Education has been explicit on this. | Cannot remove or correct content in records other than the grade. Does not give you a permanent statement-of-disagreement right. |
| Source of the right | Federal law (20 U.S.C. § 1232g) and Department of Education regulations at 34 CFR § 99.20-22. | Institutional policy. Procedures and deadlines vary by school and sometimes by department. |
| Typical deadline | No statutory deadline. The right exists for as long as the school keeps the record. | Often very short: 5-30 days from the grade posting at most institutions. Missing the deadline usually forecloses the appeal. |
| Hearing right | Yes, federally guaranteed. Conducted by an official with no direct interest in the outcome. | Varies. Some schools provide a faculty-committee hearing; many resolve through paper review only. |
| If you lose | Permanent right to attach a letter of disagreement that follows the record whenever it is disclosed. | Decision is typically final at the institutional level. No statement-of-disagreement equivalent. |
| When the situation is mixed | Run in parallel with a grade appeal when both apply. The FERPA process addresses the record's accuracy; the grade appeal addresses the grade itself. | Same: pursue both processes on their separate tracks. They do not foreclose each other. |
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